Geodemographic analysis offers colleges a description of student or donor prospect groupings, and direction on finding more of them. However, the method only complements careful use of other resources such as internal yield and retention information, matriculant and nonmatriculant surveys, national and longitudinal data services, focus groups, and…

When students choose a college on the basis of underlying values--rather than pretty publications--they get what they bought into. These are the students who are the ones who stay, succeed and ultimately become devoted and generous alumni. To recruit students, institutions must identify and communicate their values. (MLW)